- •Уо «белорусский государственный экономический университет»
- •Contents
- •Lecture 1 geography and cultural regions of the u.S.A.
- •Summary
- •Questions for discussion
- •Lecture 2 history of the united states Part 1. From the 16th century to the american revolution
- •Summary
- •Questions for discussion
- •Lecture 2 history of the united states Part 2. From the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century
- •Summary
- •Questions for discussion
- •Lecture 2 history of the united states Part 3. The u.S. In the 20th and 21st centuries
- •Summary
- •Questions for discussion
- •Lecture 3 federal government of the united states
- •Summary
- •Questions for discussion
- •Lecture 4 u.S. Economy and demographics
- •Summary
- •Questions for discussion
- •Lecture 5 the united states - nation of immigrants
- •Summary
- •Questions for discussion
- •Lectures 8 the united states culture and american identity
- •Summary
- •Questions for discussion
- •Lecture 9 american cultural traits
- •Summary
- •Questions for discussion
- •Lecture 10 american english
- •A). American Indian languages and their influence
- •1. British English vs. American English
- •When speaking about lexico-semantic differences one should pay attention to structural variants of words in be and ae. They differ in affixes while lexical meaning remains the same: e.G.,
- •2. Analysis of the Linguistic Peculiarities Introduced by Various Ethnic Groups in the Course of American History a). American Indian Languages and their Influence
- •Summary
- •Questions for discussion
- •Summary
- •Questions for discussion
- •Lecture 12 tourist attractions in the united states
- •Summary
- •Questions for discussion
- •References
Уо «белорусский государственный экономический университет»
Н.А. Новик
COUNTRY STUDIES: U.S.A.
Course Pack
Страноведение: США
Курс лекций
на английском языке
Минск: 2014
Рецензенты:
Рекомендовано кафедрой профессионально ориентированной английской речи и кафедрой межкультурной экономической коммуникации БГЭУ
Новик Н.А.
Страноведение: США = Country Studies: U.S.A. Курс лекций на английском языке / Н.А.Новик. - Минск: БГЭУ, 2014. – 251 с.
Предлагаемый вниманию читателей курс лекций представляет собой учебное пособие по дисциплинам «Страноведение» и «Лингвострановедение» и «Культура страны изучаемого языка». В нем приводятся интересные, полезные и новейшие сведения о прошлом и настоящем Соединенных Штатов, культуре американцев, национальной политике, экономике, языке, вкладе иммигрантов в формирование американского государства и менталитета, т.д.
Тексты информативны, сопровождаются словарем, кратким содержанием и ключевыми вопросами по теме. В каждую тему включена дополнительная информация, которая может быть использована на семинарских занятиях. При подготовке издания использованы оригинальные источники информации - в т.ч. книги, периодические издания и Интернет. В конце пособия приводятся тесты для контроля над пониманием услышанного в ходе лекций.
Пособие предназначено для студентов, изучающих межкультурную коммуникацию, для студентов лингвистических вузов и лицеев, преподавателей, переводчиков, персонала туристических фирм, деловых людей, туристов и просто для тех, кто изучает английский язык.
Contents
Preface……………………………………………………………………………….4 Lecture 1. U.S. geography……………………………………………………………5 Lecture 2. History of the United States. Part 1. From colonization to revolution……………………………………… ……………………………….…..22
Lecture 2. History of the United States. Part 2. From westward expansion to the rise of imperialism…………………………..……………………………………………46
Lecture 2. History of the United States. Part 3. The U.S. in the 20th and 21st centuries……………………………………………………………………………..68
Lecture 3. American regionalism and the U.S. national capital………….…..……...92
Lecture 4. Federal government of the United States……………………….………112
Lecture 5. Economy of the United States…………………………………………..132
Lecture 6. U.S.A. -- nation of immigrants…….……………...…………………….154
Lecture 7. Culture of the United States…………………………………………….180
Lecture 8. American English……………………………………………………….207
Lecture 9. U.S. Education ………………………………………………………….235
References…………..………………………………………….…………………..250
PREFACE
This course of lectures was designed to introduce the students majoring in intercultural communication to the world of U.S.A. studies. It incorporates the study of geography, economy, history, politics, literature, art, culture, education, American stereotype, population growth and structure and American English among other fields.
Within modern memory people all over the planet have become remarkably conscious of the U.S.A. No wonder, the U.S. dollar is still one of the most convertible currencies. Even remote villagers know about this land “from sea to shining sea,” about California and the White House. “When America sneezes, the world gets a cold,” they say.
So, the subject of these lectures is the U.S.A. or America. A key goal is to stimulate the students’ curiosity about the U.S.A. While reading this pack the students will become better informed and more experienced in understanding American culture and people. And understanding of cultural difference leads to an ability to communicate across difference, even if we don’t share the same beliefs, values, and objectives, etc.
This course of lectures entails studying a complex and balanced picture of the U.S.A., identifying good and evil in the country’s social, political, and cultural life. The lectures show that the U.S. is more diverse than Hollywood westerns, Fourth-of-July bravado, United Fruit, and MTV would lead foreigners to believe.
The course brings together ideas, concepts and facts from a wide variety of sources. Structurally, it is divided into nine lectures; each lecture offers the following four tools:
First, a statement of the major themes to be found in the lecture;
Second, a list of key words and proper names;
Third, a structured text complemented by a wealth of additional information under the headline Interesting to know;
Fourth, a summary of key points with a series of discussion questions;
Fifths, small tests on comprehension of the material in each lecture.
A list of references or sources is given at the end of the course pack.
Hopefully, with the knowledge improved and expanded by this course, University graduates will have the expertise necessary to gain employment in the field of their major.